Sunday’s Magic Word

Ben Q. Rock of Orlando Pinstriped Post: “In an Orlando Magic season which featured uneven or unimpressive performances from All-Stars Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis, and Vince Carter, J.J. Redick‘s development into one of the league’s most reliable reserves came as a welcome surprise, but it shouldn’t have. Not to play the “I told you so” card, but I did mention in last season’s Redick evaluation that he shoot a flukily low percentage on long two-pointers, which crippled his field goal percentage and confidence. But he showed in the playoffs that he developed as a playmaker and a defender, which was enough for me to believe that he would put it together this season. And, in putting it together, Redick wound up producing 1.12 points per possession this season, according to Synergy Sports Technlogy, the most efficient mark in the league of any player with at least 700 possessions. Redick’s the sort of versatile, mid-usage, high-efficiency role player on whom any team can rely, and his performance this year no doubt earned him millions of dollars as he seeks a new contract this summer.”

Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel evaluates general manager Otis Smith and head coach Stan Van Gundy: “[Otis] Smith sets a high bar for the Magic. He says the team’s goal is to win an NBA title, and he doesn’t shy away from the pressure. He made a smart move to not pay Hedo Turkoglu the $52 million over five years that Toronto offered, because such a commitment would have hurt the Magic in the long-term. Smith’s acquisitions of free agents Matt Barnes and Jason Williams were brilliant because the signings yielded two key contributors at bargain salaries. Smith doesn’t receive enough credit for assembling a roster filled with good guys. He also showed patience in keeping J.J. Redick after Redick played sparingly over his first two seasons. Redick blossomed the last two seasons and has become a valuable contributor.”